During his first tenure, 2019, precisely, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state appointed Dr. Muhammad Sani Idriss as the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education. On his appointment, Dr. Sani faced numerous challenges in Yobe’s education sector, including dilapidated classrooms, teacher shortages, and other significant issues. Happily, Dr. Sani prepared a roadmap to address these problems. As time moved on under his leadership Yobe employed over 4,000 teachers and renovated numerous schools.
Dr. Muhammad Sani Idriss has since implemented various initiatives that have significantly uplifted the education sector. His efforts have changed the narrative and will benefit the state’s education system for decades. All hail Dr. Sani. Remarkably, he is the first commissioner for education in the state to gather first-hand information by visiting all schools and spending nights in students’ hostels—in the form of monitoring. This unparalleled approach allowed him to interact directly with students and their teachers to fully understand their experiences. Additionally, he made unexpected visits to school kitchens and dining sessions to check the quality and quantity of food provided to students.
Dr. Sani led the effort to improve Yobe state’s educational performance in WAEC and NECO, moving from the bottom to the top. Under his leadership, Yobe students now meet university requirements in SSCE and excel in UTME, emerging as some of the best in recent examinations across the country. Dr. Sani would forever be remembered for this outstanding undertaking.
He also integrated Islamic and western education into the public school curriculum, enabling students to learn their religion, memorise the Holy Qur’an, and become proficient in Arabic, English, and other languages in primary and secondary schools, respectively.
Moreover, his leadership saw the construction of eight additional day secondary schools for girls, significantly reducing the number of out-of-school children, taking majority of the street beggars off the street. The Yobe state government also built three mega schools in the state’s three senatorial zones during his tenure.
As Dr. Sani resigned as commissioner to lead the National Almajiri Commission and out-of-school programme, it is incumbent on the Yobe state government to honour him for his contributions to revamping the education sector as a form of appreciation and recognition of his tireless efforts for him to double his feat in all his future endeavours.
I, therefore, implore Governor Mai Mala Buni to bestow an award on this dedicated individual who has tirelessly worked to improve Yobe’s education system.
Kasim Isa Muhammad,
Potiskum, Yobe state.
